


October 20th, Witches

by Jaggy_Simp



Series: Harringrove Halloween Extravaganza [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Character Death, Death, Spells & Enchantments, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-31 07:36:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21117314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaggy_Simp/pseuds/Jaggy_Simp
Summary: After El loses her powers, she's desperate to get them back. However the deal she makes turns sour.





	October 20th, Witches

After the Starcourt Mall incident, El tried day and night to get her powers back. She tried everything, but nothing worked. She couldn’t even levitate a piece of paper. It was infuriating. Then one day when she was moping around town she came across a strange building. One that hadn’t been there before. Inside the window there was a table with a dark purple tablecloth draped on top. On the table there was a heavy-looking black leather bound book. El stared at the book with wide eyes. Curiosity sparkled in her eyes as she was drawn towards the door. She pulled it open and was hit with the heavy scent of incense. El almost gagged, the scent was so strong. She took a deep breath through her mouth, steeled her nerves and headed farther into the shop. She could only assume it was some kind of bookshop. There were shelves and shelves of books. El picked one up and turned it over in her hand. 

“Spells for the Beginning Necromancer? What the hell does that mean?” Confusion flashed across her face.  
“A necromancer is someone who specializes in dealing with the dead. Whether they raise the dead, animate the dead, or prevent someone from becoming dead.” A voice behind El answered her question. In surprise, El dropped the book she was holding. She expected it to fall and hit the floor with a thud, but the thud never came. She turned around and saw the book floating a few inches off the ground. She wondered if she had gotten her powers back and if she had stopped the book from falling. However, a figure walked towards her, flicked her hand, and she watched as the book flew into the figure’s hands. The figure gently put the book back in its place and extended a hand towards El. “My name is Madame LeShae. I’m the owner of this establishment. You are?” El cautiously shook the hand in front of her. Her throat felt unusually dry. “My names El.” “Aw, that's such a cute name. What brings you here, El?” Madame LeShae crooned. El shifted uncomfortably. This lady had appeared out of nowhere. El was unsure if she should share the real reason she had been drawn to this store. El stammered out a reply. “I don’t know why I initially came in here, but now that I know it’s a magic shop. I want to regain my powers that I lost.” Madame LeShae smiled. “I’ve got just the thing for you. Come, follow me dear.”

El hesitantly followed her farther into the store. They walked past rows and rows of books. El thought it would never end. Then finally Madame Leshae stopped. Her fingers danced along the book spines. Then her fingers stopped and turned to grasp one in her long bony hands. “This is the one child.” She handed the book to El. She grabbed it and turned the book over in her hand. The book's title said “Telekinesis for Beginners.” A smile appeared on El’s face. “How did you know?” Her eyes sparkled with delight. Madame LeShae smiled. “Madame always knows honey. Now how would you like to pay for that?” El’s smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. “I don’t have any money.” Her words faltered at the end of her sentence. Madame placed a hand on El’s shoulder. “Oh that’s okay dear. You don’t have to pay with money. If you want, I can take my payment every time you cast a spell. It would be a really simple exchange. I’d just need a little energy from you. Is that okay?” El bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go through with this or not. However the excitement she felt when she thought about being able to use her powers got the better of her. “Yes. You can do that.” El extended her hand. Madame LeShae took El’s hand in hers. “I’ll take my payment whenever you cast a spell. I look forward to receiving my payment.” El smiled and walked out of the store. When she left, she failed to turn around and see the horrendous smile on Madame LaShae's face.   
El decided to keep the book hidden from the Byers’. She didn’t know why she felt the need to hide it, but she figured it would be better that they didn’t find out about her powers. At least not right away. She figured she would eventually tell them, but first she had to know if the book would actually work. She opened up the book. The pages were yellowed with use. The words on the page were written in neat calligraphy. Each spell was written in a ritual format. She had to use a sigil and an incantation. She drew the sigil on a piece of paper and started reciting the incantation. In order for the spell to be fully completed she needed to recite the incantation seven times. On the seventh time she felt some kind of power flow through her. A smile grew on her face and she grinned. Her power was coming back. She pointed at the piece of paper on the ground and thought about it moving up to her desk. It floated up and laid itself flat on the top of the table. Delight flooded her system, along with exhaustion. She knew that the spell required her energy but she didn’t realize it was going to take this much. El yawned and decided to take a nap. 

In the next few months, El found herself using the book more often than not. She was constantly exhausted and had taken a reliance on energy drinks and caffeine. The book was her lifeline. She couldn’t live without it. She used the spells even when she didn’t need to. In fact one could say she overused the spells; that she abused their power. 

However, what would you do if you had that kind of power and then it was just ripped from you? El did everything she could to get her power back, but eventually she used the spell too often and she didn’t have enough energy to pay for her usage. They found her body a few days ago. It was dried up and curled around a notebook. The notebook included a detailed experience of her slowly but surely going insane. The shop that was mentioned didn’t exist, and the book she had mentioned was nowhere to be found. 

Madame LeShae cackled at the news report. Another victim had fallen prey to her obvious trap. She grinned at the newfound energy she had. She felt so young. It was as if she had been reborn, or if she had gotten another life. She turned to the sigil on the table and recited the incantation. The energy flowed through her and she felt her body become youthful again. She smiled and laughed. Time to set up shop again.


End file.
